Joint Childhood Education Study Combines Academia and Practitioners

06/01/16

Kim Skinner, associate professor of literacy studies in the School of Education (SOE), presented with SOE alumna Alicia Jarreau and two East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) elementary teachers at the Global Summit on Childhood 2016 in San Jose, Costa Rica March 31-April 3, 2016. The joint study combined academia and practice and utilized its maximum potential by collaboration between Skinner and three practicing public school system teachers.

Skinner presented with EBRPSS educators Ellen Rayner, Alicia Jarreau, and Cheryl Donnelly. Their presentation showcased three fifth-grade Westdale Heights Academic Magnet teachers who integrate art into their respective English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science/Social Studies content area instructional practices.

The study explores innovative, participatory arts-based approaches to teaching and learning within and across disciplinary boundaries in which children co-construct subject matter and cultural understandings through oral, written, and artistic interpretations and representations. It measures the arts-based instruction in which students engage in authentic learning through classroom practices that develop students' capacity to function within the school culture while incorporating elements of their own culture. The use of the arts as a means by which children can achieve academic success and strengthen self-esteem is supported in the study. In each of the three classrooms where the approach was implemented, the results were increased student functional understanding and practical application across content areas

Hosted by the Association of Childhood Education International, the conference was titled “Creating a Better World for Children and Youth through Sustainability, Social Innovation, and Synergy.”

About SOE
The LSU School of Education (SOE) offers graduate and undergraduate programs in Curriculum and Instruction and in Educational Leadership, Research, and Counseling. The School’s mission is to prepare P-12 educational professionals to be leaders, practitioners and scholars knowledgeable in contemporary educational issues.

Visit the School of Education at lsu.edu/education

About CHSE

The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The College is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Leadership and Human Resource Development, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Library and Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs and 18 graduate programs, enrolling more than 1,900 undergraduate and 977 graduate students. The College is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is continually working to improve its programs.

Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education at chse.lsu.edu.